CALA'DIHM, a genus of plants belonging to the natural order Aroideer, and to the tribe Caladiece. The flowers are moncecious, and the calyx and corolla are absent ; the male flowers have many-celled peltste anthers, disposed in a spike nt the end of the @paths ; the female flowers have the avarice inserted at the base of the apadix, no style; the fruit is a 1-celled berry with many seeds. A great number of species of this genus have been described. They are frequently cultivated in this country for the sake of their spotted sterna and neat green leaves, which are rarely disfigured by any of the accidents which affect other stove-plants. They have the same general appearance as the species of Arm, and also resemble them in physical and chemical properties.
U. Seyuinum, Dumb-Cane, Ian caulescent suberect plant with oblong cuspidate leaves, and the spadix shorter than the oblong spathe. This plaut is a native of South America and the West. Indies. It grows to a height of tire or six feet. It secretes an acrid poison, so that when any part of the plant is chewed the tongue swells and the power of speech is lost. It is on this account called 'Dumb-Cane.' Sir William Hooker, in his ' Exotic Flora,' relates the case of a gardener who incautiously bit a piece of Dumb-Cane : " His tongue swelled to such a degree that lie could not move it ; he became utterly incapable of speaking, and was confines to the house for some days in the moat excruciating torments." The juice is stated to impart an indelible stain to linen. Notwithstanding its poisonous nature, Browue says that, in common with the Arum oraturn, its stalk is need to bring sugar to a good grain when it is too viscid, and cannot be made to granulate with lime alone. In the districts where it grows the natives use a decoction of the stem as a bath and fomentation in dropsy, and the rootstock is used in obstinate constipation and in long-standing gout. The negroes use it as an anti-aphrodisiac.
C. sagittifolium, Brazil Cabbage, is stemless, with sagittate acumi nate leaves, the spadix shorter than the spathe, which is ovate-cucullate. This plant is a native of the West Indies, and is called by the French Chou-de-Bresil, and by the Germans Ember Arum. In appearance it resembles Arum cdocaria, and is used for the same purposes. Both the leaves and rootstock of this plant are eaten. The leaves are boiled and eaten as coleworts; the rootatock is not considered so great a delicacy as the leaves. Of all the eatable Aroidem, this appears to be the most extensively cultivated. It is found in the East and West Indies, in China, Japan, New Zealand, and the South Sea Islands. When raw the rootstock coutains n certain amount of the poisonous secretion of the family, and like the potato has an acrid unpleasant flavour, which entirely disappears in cooking. The loaves are very soft and glaucous, from being covered with a fine silky hair, and in many places are used instead of plates and dishes.
C. esculentum resembles the last : its leaves are peltate-cordate, and its spathe ovate-lanceolate. It is also a native of South America, and is cultivated ou account of the starch contained in its rootstock. It possesses properties similar to the last.
C. arborescens is a poisonous species, though not so virulent as the Dumb-Cane. Merest says that it was formerly used for wetting the mouths of negroes as a punialiment for slight misdemeanours (Loudou, Cyclopadia of Plants; Lindley, Natural System ; Burnett., Outlines of Botany ; Bischoff, Medicinisch-Pharmaccutische Botanik.) CALAMINE.[Zrxe.)